Saudi FM points out disagreement with Moscow over Syria

'This is the only thing on which we differ,' says al-Jubeir, regarding the fate of Syria's Assad

By Hakan Ceyhan AkdoganMOSCOW (AA) - Adel bin Ahmed al-Jubeir, the Saudi minister of foreign affairs, has said disagreements over Syria between Russia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) remained unresolved on Thursday at the fourth round of a strategic dialogue meeting held in Russian capital Moscow.Speaking at a joint conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, al-Jubeir raised concerns over the meeting, namely over the future of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad."This is not the only thing on which we differ," he said. "Three major steps to take; first, Assad regime should stop attacking, and make room for humanitarian aid. Second, negotiations should resume and, third, dialogue should be strengthened during the Geneva process", he stated.A “cessation of hostilities” agreement was reached by the U.S. and Russia in February in a bid to de-escalate the six-year conflict and pave the way for peace talks in Geneva between the regime and the opposition.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a political and economic alliance of six Middle Eastern countries -- Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman, was established in 1981.

*Anadolu Agency correspondent Ahmet Sait Akcay contributed to this story from Ankara.